Brendan Rodgers reckons he’s become a better boss...thanks to the massive headache caused by Luis Suarez.

The Liverpool manager has spent much of his first Anfield year putting out fires sparked by the controversial striker, capped by a desperate battle to keep the South American during a turbulent summer when he threatened to quit after being banned for 10 matches for biting Branislav Ivanovic.

Rodgers was praised for his tough handling of the striker, which contrasted with the indulgent approach many claimed was adopted during the Patrice Evra affair, and he admitted he has learned a lot.

“Seventeen months on, I’m a much better manager for that experience,” he revealed to ESPNFC.

“Some of the things Suarez has done, he knows were wrong. Some of them have been really testing situations as a manager... there’ve been some challenging moments.”

Rodgers refused to defend Suarez after his biting shame and insisted the forward take his punishment on the chin, and he adopted the same tough-love approach when he stood up to the Uruguay international in the summer.

That led to a showdown, with Suarez backing down and accepting his immediate future at Anfield, and now Rodgers is confident that, after scoring eight goals in six Premier League games since his ban ended, Suarez won’t be leaving soon.

“There’s no club bigger than Liverpool... Luis now respects that decision because he’s very happy here, and improving all the time,” he added.

Rodgers’ confidence over the Anfield future of Suarez comes despite fresh reports in Madrid that the striker is back on the agenda as a January target for Spanish giants Real.

Spanish sports daily Marca has reported that boss Carlo Ancelotti has placed the Reds forward at the top of his wish list in the new year window.

Real need another forward, and a source claimed: “Suarez is the first name on Ancelotti’s wish list.”